Looking forward to Major No 1

WHEN I took up golf in my teenage years, I can remember the excitement every year when in April the first men’s Major of the year – The Masters at Augusta National – was shown on TV. My recollection was of a course in perfect condition and the top 
players – mostly Americans such as Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus – battling it out for the coveted Green Jacket.

Well, thanks to satellite television we can now all look forward to watching the opening women’s Major of the year, the Kraft Nabisco Championship. It is played at the prestigious Mission Hills Country Club in Palm Springs and is shortly about to take place.

The Kraft Nabisco has a lot in common with The Masters in that it is always played on the same course each year, and the field is by invitation only, based on strict qualification criteria. The course at Mission Hills is a fitting venue, with its vivid green fairways, troublesome lakes full of dyed blue water, the odd very strategically placed palm tree, and a backdrop of the snow-covered San Bernadino mountains.

With temperatures usually hovering at about 80˚ it is an idyllic setting that for many fans has become an annual pilgrimage.
Back in the late 70s and into the 80s when I was fortunate enough to play in it on four occasions, the two days of pro-ams were full of genuine celebrities, many of whom had homes in the Palm Springs area.

The late Bing Crosby and his charming wife, Kathryn, always hosted a party for the professional participants. Originally the event had a real party atmosphere, which has nowadays been replaced by the championship being the real curtain-raiser to 
the LPGA Tour season, even though several events are played prior to it. Last year the Championship was won by the teenager Morgan Pressel after several players seemingly had the tournament within their grasp – most notably Norway’s Suzann Pettersen who dropped four shots over the closing four holes.

This year’s championship will be shown live on Sky for the first time ever. I will be in the studios to discuss the action and am really looking forward to it. It will be fascinating to see how the British and European players get on. How will Annika fare in her bid to regain the world No 1 spot? Will Suzann continue her excellent form of 2007 and challenge the 
popular Mexican Lorena Ochoa’s dominance of the women’s game?

Will America’s young guard – the likes of Paula Creamer, Morgan Pressel and Natalie Gulbis – continue to improve? Or will it be the year when the large number of talented Korean players add to their haul of Majors?

With the Ladies European Tour having already held its two opening tournaments of the year down under in Australia, I was delighted to watch Lisa Hall start her year off with a bang when she captured the ANZ Masters from a strong field. Lisa’s return to the top after several years in the wilderness when she very nearly gave up the game altogether is one of those stories with a happy ending which couldn’t happen to a nicer person.

She was in my 1996 Solheim Cup side (as Lisa Hackney) and a nicer person you couldn’t wish to meet.